Peanut butter chocolate blondies made with secret ingredients: chickpeas, oats, and bananas. These blondies are so rich, delicious, and addicting, you’ll never guess they are super healthy!
I have a mean sweet tooth. I’m that kind of person that always needs a sweet treat after any savory meal. Missing dessert is just not an option for me.
That’s why I am always trying to create healthy treats that will satisfy my sweet cravings without any accompanying guilt.
My new recipe does just the trick. It’s packed with nutritious ingredients like chickpeas, oats, and bananas. The only other ingredients are peanut butter, maple syrup/ coconut sugar, baking powder and vanilla. It’s a refined sugar free, gluten-free, and vegan snack. But taste just like a chocolate chip cookie bar. I know….sounds too good to be true! But it’s real.
So….
Let’s get to baking!
These bars are about to get even better for you – because they are also incredibly easy to make. It takes one bowl and simple ingredients!
In a food processor, add the oats and a pinch of salt and blitz until the oats are mostly broken down. Add in the remaining ingredient (except chocolate chips)
- chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- peanut butter
- maple syrup
- coconut sugar
- baking powder
- ripe bananas
Blend until all the ingredients come together and form a batter. Finally, fold in the chocolate chips. I used a dairy free dark chocolate chip to keep this vegan (and because I have a co-worker, who also serves as my taste tester, that cannot eat dairy at the moment!).
Go ahead and taste the batter – its sooooo yummy. It taste just like chocolate chip cookie dough. And since there is no eggs, you can eat as much of the batter as you want!
But try to resist eating too much. You still need enough batter to make these amazing bars!
Pour the batter into a greased 8×8 baking pan lined with parchment paper. Top with extra chocolate chips and crushed peanuts. Bake for 20-25 minutes. You want the edges to be golden and the middle relatively solid. It will continue to firm up after they are removed from the oven.
Once you remove them from the oven, let them cool completely. Then remove them from the pan by lifting the parchment paper. Finally, cut into bars and drizzle with warm peanut butter.
The only thing left to do is try a bar. Trust me, you’ll me amazed at how delicious these turn out. You would never guess there is no flour, refined sugar, or eggs.
The bars are crispy on the outside and soft and gooey in the center. They taste just like a blondie with hints of peanut butter and bananas. You cannot taste the chickpeas at all, but they give it a blondie like texture. You get a nice crunch from the peanuts and chocolate chips on top. And that extra drizzle of warm, gooey peanut butter just makes it perfection!
Like they say, life is too short not to eat dessert every day! And with treats like these chickpea blondies, there is no reason not to say true to that mantra!
Enjoy!
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Secret Ingredient Peanut Butter Chocolate Blondies
Ingredients
- 1 cup old fashioned oats
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon optional
- 2 overripe bananas
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon melted peanut butter
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips plus more for topping
- 1 tablespoon crushed salted peanuts
Instructions
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Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x8 pan.
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In a food processor, pulse the oats and salt until the oats are broken down, but not turned into a flour.
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Add all the remaining ingredients, except chocolate chips, extra tablespoon peanut butter, and peanuts, and blend until well-combined and you have a batter.
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Take the blade out of the food processor and fold in the 1/2 cup of chocolate chips.
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Pour batter into the greased pan. Top with extra chocolate chips and crushed peanuts.
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Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the edges are browned. The middle may seem a little soft but it will continue to cook when removed from oven. Do not over-bake.
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Let cool completely. Cut into squares.
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Heat extra tablespoon of peanut butter in microwave until it is a pourable consistency. Drizzle over cut bars.
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Serve and enjoy!
